Fighting in Cars with Boys
by muppet47
Summary: You can't get away from a fight when you're locked in a trunk together. Near future fic based on a Tumblr prompt: No secrets, no angst. One Shot.


The other day I got this from Kate Christie on Tumblr (check out her fic, it's great):

_Twistymaven reblogged a quote earlier: "Can't sleep? Me either. Let's can't sleep together." I wrote "Insomnia," a one-shot, in response. Tag. You're it. Go write something. No angst, no secrets! Have fun. -KC : )_

I'm not sure I followed the rules exactly, because there is no insomnia and the slightest hint of angst. But there are no secrets, and I hope some fun. Set in the near future when Kate and Castle are together.:)

* * *

Fighting In Cars with Boys

* * *

"I don't get it. Why does this keep happening to us?"

Kate fought the urge to hit him. She shifted, trying to get his elbow out of her ribs. "There's nothing to get, Castle. We're locked in the damn trunk. Again."

"Thank you, Detective Obvious."

"What is wrong with you?"

"Aside from being locked in a trunk?"

"Yes, aside from being locked in a trunk. You're so grumpy."

"I'm sorry, what's the acceptable reaction to being locked in a trunk?" Castle tried to turn on his back but didn't have room.

"Don't say 'locked in a trunk' again. It's lost all meaning." Kate flinched. "Ow! You're lying on my hair."

He tried to lift up, swish the strands from under his arm. "Fine then. What's the acceptable reaction to being forcibly confined to the luggage compartment of this automobile?"

"Castle."

"How should I react to being incarcerated in the cargo niche of this vehicle?"

"Castle!"

"What is the correct response to being imprisoned in the baggage nook of this horseless carriage?"

"With silence. The correct response is silence, oh my god."

"Now who's grumpy?"

"That's not silence."

Kate yanked her hand from under Castle's hip and tried to flip over, but the car was a compact and lacked the spacious accommodations of their last trunk confinement. They were trapped face to face, their long legs curled up, tangled. His thigh was heavy across hers, her face nestled in his throat, and if she wasn't so annoyed with him she would be completely turned on right now.

Who was she kidding? She _was_ completely turned on. She was just trying to ignore it _because_ she was so annoyed with him. It was his fault they were trapped. In a trunk. Again.

With a final twist and an accidental elbow to Castle's ribs – his exhalation of pained surprise ghosted across her neck, making her shiver – Kate managed to turn over on her other side.

It wasn't any better. Now his arm had nowhere to go but around her waist. His legs were tucked under hers, his chest snug against her back, her butt nestled in his crotch, and _dammit_, she was supposed to be mad at him. He had almost gotten himself killed.

She managed not to say anything for fifteen whole seconds before, "Why, why, _why_ would you try to grab his gun, Castle? Why?"

He jerked against her, in surprise or irritation, she wasn't sure. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe because he was about to shoot you, and one of my goals in life is _not to see you get shot_. Again."

Oooookay. Irritation, then. Which was ridiculous and unfair, because she didn't do anything.

"My gun was in my hand! Instead he grabbed you and I couldn't get a clear shot." And even if she had she couldn't have taken it, not with her hands violently shaking at the sight of a gun to Castle's head.

"I am so, _so sorry_ that me not wanting you dead kept you from doing your job." His voice was low and angry, right in her ear. Her stomach sank even as she wanted to press against him, because they hadn't had a fight, a real fight, since they'd gotten together, and this one seemed to have appeared fully formed from nothing and nowhere.

"That's not what I meant and you know it."

"I don't know it." He was almost snarling and Kate wanted to kick him in the shins.

"You really want to have a fight right now?"

"Why not? Nothing else to do. Be a while before the guys find us." Castle sounded petulant and obnoxious and more than a little frustrated. "And obviously you're unhappy with my work as your partner –"

"I never said-"

"I mean, you're probably right, you'd be better off with someone who knows what he's doing, a trained police officer, like….like Royce. Yes, Royce. And he loved you too. So, perfect."

"That is the stupidest, most nonsensical thing you've ever said, and that is really saying something." She twisted her neck to try and see his eyes in the dark, but only succeeded in flipping her hair in his face. "What the hell is the matter with you? Are you talking about _quitting_? And what does Royce have to do with anything?" Her stomach clenched, her eyes were stinging, and she was furious, furious.

Castle spit the strands out of his mouth. "I didn't say anything about quitting."

"Yes, you – "

"But while we're on the subject of Royce –"

"We're _not _-"

"He may not have been a liability as a partner, but as a boyfriend I think I win."

Kate was almost shaking. Was he seriously acting like a jealous five-year-old over a dead man? Where did this come from?

"I mean, I might endanger your life, but I would never sell you out. Really, what were you thinking?"

Underneath her anger Kate knew he was saying something important that really had nothing at all to do with Royce. But he was spitting the words, his body tense behind her, his voice venomous, and Kate felt a surge of fury, because she'd be damned if he'd lecture her about relationship mistakes.

"You're one to talk. I've never dated a traitor."

Castle sucked in a breath, and immediately Kate was swallowed in shame. That was totally over the line, but before she could apologize,

"Yeah, well. I've never dated Josh. Touché."

"What? What does that even mean?"

"Touché? In this instance I'm using it to acknowledge the success of my argument. It's more sophisticated than ha_ ha, nonny-nonny-boo-boo_."

"Are you kidding me right now? First off, I know what touché means, and you can't touché yourself."

"Whatever. I touché myself all the time, if you know what I mean."

Kate tried to block the image that flashed across her mind, but couldn't control the surge of heat that followed. She shook her head.

"Shut up. And secondly, there is no way Josh was worse than Sophia Turner. None." Even saying her name made Kate uncomfortable.

Uncomfortable. Yeah. Uncomfortable with white hot jealousy. Kate knew it meant that she was a terrible person, but even after all that Sophia had done, the thing that still bothered her the most was her relationship with Castle. That she had slept with him. Was his muse. First.

Castle snorted.

"Really? We were around Sophia for, what? Three days? You dated Josh for _nine months_."

"And in those nine months, he never once tried to kill us. Sophia was ready to shoot you in the head."

"He never tried to kill _you_. It killed me every single time I watched you go home with him."

Oh. Castle was being ridiculous, but Kate still felt her heart jump into her throat, realizing again how hard those months had been for him, how long it took her to make it right. But.

"It couldn't have bothered you that much, since you were sleeping with Gina." She cringed as her words backfired on her, filling her mind with images of Castle in bed with Gina, with Sophia, with every single woman who wasn't her. She was appalled at her own pettiness, but she was feeling defensive and guilty and she didn't understand how this had turned into an argument about her mistakes.

Castle was quiet, the seconds stretching out. Then she felt him exhale, his body falling into hers. His arm twitched against her hip, as if he would have pulled her closer if they weren't already as close as they could be.

"I never would have gotten back together with Gina if you hadn't been with Demming." The words were harsh, but his voice was quiet, subdued, the anger drained away. Guilty, like he felt he owed her the explanation.

Kate sighed. "I broke up with Demming the day you left for the Hamptons. You know that."

"I do." Castle agreed, in the same soft voice.

So why were they rehashing it all?

Again it occurred to Kate that this was the most they'd fought since…since they got together. Since this summer, when they nearly didn't get together at all. When they had a fight of such epic, awful proportions she was afraid they would never be together again.

Maybe they've been afraid to fight, and every little thing has built up and…maybe they're okay.

Castle squeezed her against him and dropped a kiss to the back of her neck while he wrapped his foot around her ankle. "I'm sorry."

Kate exhaled, the tension seeping from her body, her shoulders sinking into his chest. She can feel his heartbeat. "For what?"

"For getting back together with Gina. For trusting Sophia. For getting us locked in this trunk." He laughed, but it was laced with misery. "For messing up so much when all I want to do is make you happy."

Her heart turned over. Tenderness flooded through her, washing away the anger, the frustration. "You do make me happy. I promise." Kate carefully pulled herself over to face him and wrapped her fingers around the back of his neck, the knots in her chest loosening. "And I wasn't upset because we got locked in the trunk. I was upset because I thought that guy was going to shoot you."

Castle splayed his hand, wide and warm, against the small of her back. His rested his forehead against hers, his breath soft on her cheek. "I was upset because I thought he was going to shoot _you_." He paused, working his other hand behind her, tucking it just under her waistband. "I shouldn't have said that about Royce, I don't even know why I did…it's just, I hate that I can be a liability to you, that I can be the thing that puts you in danger. You were safer with him. I guess I'm jealous of that."

Kate pulled herself closer, her lips on his neck, the hollow of his throat. "Of course I was in danger with Royce. It's the nature of the job."

"I was being dumb." Castle shook his head, sighed into her hair. "I just got so scared, and god, Kate, I don't know what I'd do if…" he paused, swallowed hard. "And I took it out on you. I'm so sorry."

"Me too." Kate blinked against the tears in her eyes, the relief. "I'm sorry too. I love you."

"I love you. So much." He kissed her temple, the edge of her cheek. "But I stand by everything I said about Josh. I hate that guy."

Kate laughed, gasping as his hands ran up her sides, under her shirt, against her skin. "Fair enough."

"Kate." He twisted down to find her mouth, his teeth grazing her bottom lip. "We just had a fight. And we're both still here."

"Well, technically there's nowhere to go…" Castle squeezed her ribs, his thumbs brushing her breasts, sending shocks of desire skittering along her nerves. "Yes." She was breathless. "We're both still here."

No one was going anywhere.

All at once she was flooded with relief, awash in love, and she had to be closer. She shifted, her hips against his, her heel against the back of his knee, her arm across his back. Kate was desperate that he know, understand, and her voice was low and fierce in his ear. "I will always be here."

* * *

They didn't hear a thing. When the trunk flew opened it was completely unexpected, disorienting, and not a little humiliating. Later, Kate could only hope that the guys couldn't actually see that her hand was down the front of Castle's pants.

"Whoa!" Ryan and Esposito stood over them, light steaming behind them. Ryan cleared his throat. "You know, I can just close this up again, if you want."

Kate was already untangling herself from Castle; sat up so fast she smacked her head on the lid of the trunk. She sat still for a second, stunned by the knock to the head and the rapid, heavy pulse of suspended arousal. She couldn't think.

Castle sat up reluctantly, deliciously rumpled and disgruntled, blinking against the light. "Wow. You guys got here fast."

Esposito snorted. "Sorry to be so outstanding at saving your asses. Didn't mean to interrupt anything."

Kate jumped as she felt Castle's hand on her bare back, trying to refasten her bra. Good Lord.

"Hey! You truncated our discussion." He was trying to stall because he couldn't quite hook the strap. "Get it? Because it was cut short, and..."

"That was a discussion?"

Kate pretended Ryan hadn't said anything. She was trying to pretend he wasn't there, period. Otherwise, facing him and Esposito tomorrow morning was going to be impossible. She leaned in, whispered to Castle. "And because we're in a trunk. Yes, I get it. That's terrible. We need to get out right now, so we can go home and finish what we started, or I am going to die."

He reached up and palmed her face, pulling her down for a quick kiss, finally getting the hook with his other hand. "I'll never be finished with you."

"I heard that. Gross." Ryan made a face.

"Then stop listening." Castle pulled them both over the edge of the trunk and onto the pavement, his arm sneaking around her waist, drawing her against him.

"Where's the gratitude? We just rescued you." Ryan squinted at her and did a double take, before he pointedly focused on nothing to his left. "Uh, Beckett? You might want to button your shirt."

Kate could feel her face burning as she yanked the edges of her shirt together. She was going to have to call in sick tomorrow. Obviously.

Castle wasn't helping, his mouth at her ear. "Don't listen to Ryan. Your unbuttoned shirt doesn't bother me _in the least_. I promise."

Esposito pretended to gag. "Seriously? You two have gotten disgusting. Am I going to have to separate you on the ride back?"

Five minutes later they were on their way back to the precinct: Kate in the passenger seat, Castle in the back with Ryan. Longest car ride ever.

* * *

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